Loading die with bullet seating insert



March 11, 1958 A. R. THOMPSON, JR

LOADING DIE WI' IH BULLET SEATING I N SERT Original Filed Dec. 8, 1950 mvmrox flZ/reJ R-TAom SO n,

LOADING DIE WITH BULLET SEATlN G INSERT Alfred R. Thompson, In, Lewistown, Pa.

Original application December 8, 1950, Serial No. 199,796, now Patent No. 2,741,148, dated April 19, 1956. Divided and this application February 6, 1956, Serial No. 563,630

Claims. (Cl. 86-43) This invention relates to a novel bullet seating insert for loading and reloading small arms ammunition, for use with a conventional loading press frame, and which constitutes adivision of my copending application Serial No. 199,796, entitled Loading Die for Small Arms Ammunition, filed December 8, 1950, now Letters Patent No. 2,741,148.

In reloading devices as now being employed, the shell case receiving chamebr is form-reamed throughout its length to receive the charged shell case and to form a guide for the subsequent bullet seating operation. The fit of the shell case in the receiving chamber is necessarily loose in most instances to insure the acceptance of shell cases varying from maximum to minimum standards, since it is the usual practice to ream the receiving chamber to seat a shell case of maximum dimensions, plus tolerance. Thus, when a shell case of minimum diameter is inserted into such a chamber the likelihood of misalignment of the bullet in the application thereof to the shell case neck always exists.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bullet seating insert utilizing the same master die body previously employed for reshaping the case to its original dimensions and so that the reshaped and charged case will be snugly received in the receiving chamber of the die body.

A further object of the invention is to provide a loading or reloading unit including a master body capable of accommodating different caliber bullet seating inserts so that bullets of different caliber sizes may be readily loaded in a properly reshaped shell case of a given size.

Still a further and primary object of the present invention is to provide a loading and reloading unit wherein the bullet is positively righted and centered before the base or trailing end of the bullet is pressed into the case neck to insure a perfect seating of the bullet with the axis thereof disposed in alignment with the axis of the case.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view showing the loading and reloading unit in an applied position in the upper portion of a loading press;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View of the loading unit, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the loading or reloading device in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 5 and includes an elongated master die body, designated generally 6, having an externally threaded end portion 7 of uniform diameter extending to the lower or inner end 8 of said body 6. Said externally threaded body portion 7 is threaded in- 2,826,111 Patented Mar. 11, 1958 wardly through a threaded bore 9 formed in the upper end 10 of the frame of a conventional loading press, as more fully disclosed in my aforementioned application. A jam nut 11 is adjustably mounted on the threaded body portion 7 and bears against the outer side of the frame end 10, around the bore 9, to adjustably position the inner end 8, as will hereinafter become apparent. A set screw 12 is threaded radially into the nut 11 to bear against a part of the thread 7 to retain the jam nut 11 in selected positions.

The master die body 6 has a bore 13 extending inwardly from the inner end 8 thereof and which is inwardly tapered from end-to-end thereof, as seen in Figure 2. The restricted inner end of the bore 13, which is located approximately intermediate of the ends of the die body 6 opens into a cylindrical chamber 14 which is of larger diameter than the inner end of the bore 13. The opposite upper end of the body 6 is provided with an internally threaded bore portion 15 which opens outwardly thereof and which has an inner end communieating with the upper end of the chamber 14. The chamber 14 and bore portion 15 are coaxially disposed relative to one another and to the tapered bore 13 and are each concentric with the axis and the periphery of the die body 6. The bore portion 15 is of larger diameter than the chamber 14.

A reloading insert in the form of an elongated cylindrical body, designated generally 16, includes an inner end portion having a smooth periphery which is concentrically disposed with respect to the axis of said reloading insert 16. Said inner end portion 17 is adapted to snugly fit in the chamber 14. The outer end portion 18 of the insert 16 is of larger external diameter than the inner end portion 17 and is externally threaded to threadedly engage the threaded bore portion 15. It will be readily apparent that the loading insert 16 is inserted into the master die body 6 through its outer end, and the threaded outer end portion 18 thereof projects outwardly from said outer end of the body 6 and has a jam nut 19 adjustably mounted thereon and which bears against the outer end of the body 6 to selectively position the inner end 29 of the insert portion 17 relative to the inner end of the chamber 14 and the restricted inner end of the tapered bore 13. A set screw 21 is threaded radially into the nut 19 and is adapted to be advanced against a part of the thread 18 to retain the reloading insert 16 in selected positions with respect to the body 6.

The reloading insert 16 has a bore which extends longitudinally therethrough and which includes a cartridge case neck receiving bore portion 22 disposed adjacent its inner end 20, and an inwardly tapered bore portion 23 which extends from said inner end 20 to the adjacent end of the bore portion 22. Said bore portions 22 and 23 are axially disposed relative to the reloading insert 16 and are likewise axially disposed relative to the tapered bore 13, due to the snug fitting engagement of the portion 17 in the cavity 14. The bore of the reloading insert also includes an intermediate portion 24 of smaller diameter than the neck engaging portion 22', and which is likewise axially disposed relative to the body member 16 and 6. The outer end of the bore of the insert 16 is of enlarged diameter relative to the remainder of said bore and is internally threaded, as seen at 25.

An elongated bullet seating insert, designated generally 26, includes an elongated stern portion 27 constituting the inner end thereof, which is of uniform external diameter and has a smooth periphery, and which is sized to slidably engage snugly in the bore portion 24, and a part of which extends into and loosely fits the enlarged threaded portion 215. The inner end of the stem 27 is provided with aconical recess or cavity 28 adapted to conformably receive the ogive or leading end of a bullet or projectile. The bullet seating insert 26 includes a threaded intermediate portion 29 of larger diameter than the stem 27 and which is threaded to threadedly engage the bore portion 25. The insert 26 at its outer end and beyond its threaded portion 29 is enlarged and knurled to provide a knob 30, by which the insert 26 can be turned. A jamb nut 31 is disposed on the threaded portion 29 and is adjusted thereon to abut against the outer end of the reloading insert 16, to retain the bullet seating insert 26 in different adjusted positions with respect thereto. A set screw 31a is threaded radially into the nut 31 and is adapted to be advanced against the thread 29 to retain the nut 31 in different adjusted positions on the threaded portion 29.

A ram 32, as more fully disclosed in my prior copending application, has a cartridge head receiving seat 33 at the upper end thereof in which is received the head 34 'of a cartridge case 35. The cartridge case is held by engagement of its head 34 in the seat 33 so as to extend upwardly from the ram 32, and it will be understood that the ram 32 is retracted downwardly and away from the master die body 6 when the cartridge case 35 is applied thereto. The die body 6 is used in the reshaping of cartridge cases, prior to the reloading thereof, as fully disclosed in my Patent No. 2,741,148, so that it will be readily apparent that the reshaped tapered body portion 36- of the cartridge case is of a proper size to conformably fit the tapered bore 13, when the ram 32 is advanced upwardly. Before the cartridge case 35 is applied to the ram 32, a primer or new primer, not shown, is applied to the head 34 thereof and a propellent charge has been inserted in the case 35. A bullet or projectile 39 is inserted into the enlarged end of the tapered bore 13 in advance of the upper end or neck portion 37 of the case 35 to be pushed upwardly therethrough by said neck when the arm 32 is advanced upwardly. As the neck 37 enters the neck engaging bore portion 22, the bullet 39 will have entered sufliciently into the lower end of the bore portion 24, in which it is snugly received, and its ogive portion will have seated in the cavity 28,, so that the axis of the bullet 39 will be disposed in alignment with the axis of the neck 37, as upward displacement of the bullet 39 is interrupted by the bullet seating insert 26. Accordingly, the neck 37 will thereafter slide relative to the bullet 39 so that the trailing end portion of the bullet will be received in the neck 37 and completion of the seating of the bullet will occur when upward movement of the ram 32 is completed and advancement of the case 35 into the body 6 is terminated. The bore end 23 functions primarily to guide the bullet 39 into the bore 24 and may additionally provide a seat for the shoulder 38. However, the reloading insert may be so adjusted in the body 6 so that the bore end 23 will either clear or contact the shoulder 38 when the seating of the bullet 39 in the neck 37 has been accomplished. It will thus be apparent that the bore portion 24 will cooperate with the cavity 28 toinsure accurate alignment of the bullet 39 with the case neck 37 before the bullet is inserted into the case neck, by upward displacement of the case relative to the bullet. It will also be apparent that the bore portions 23 and 22 will assist in guiding the bullet 39 during its upward travel and until it is finally accurately aligned with the cartridge case by the bore 24 and cavity 28. Thus, the loading unit provides a combination wherein a perfect seating of the bullet is insured, and eliminates the possibility of a bullet, while disposed at an angle to a case neck, being forced into said neck in such a manner as to provide a crooked bullet seated out of concentricity with the case body and a buckled case neck edge.

It will also be apparent that the reloading inserts to, having bore portions of other diameters than those illustrated but which are of the same external diameter, may

be interchangeably used in the master die body 6 with bullet seating inserts 26 of proper related sizes for changing the caliber of a shell case which has been previously reformed, swaged down or expanded to receive the bullet of the new caliber size.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An attachment for use with an ammunition press frame comprising an elongated master die body adapted to be detachably mounted in a portion of a press frame and having a longitudinally extending bore adapted to be disposed in axial alignment with a ram of the press frame, said bore extending inwardly from the inner end of said die body and terminating intermediate of the ends thereof and being uniformly tapered toward the inner end of said bore, said die body having an enlarged chamber extending from the inner end of the tapered bore and opening through the other outer end of the die body, a reloading insert mounted in said chamber and having-a bore extending axially therethrough and disposed in axial alignment withsaid tapered bore, said reloading insert bore including a cartridge neck engaging portion located adjacent the inner end of the tapered bore and adapted to receive the neck of a cartridge case the body portion of which is snugly received in said tapered bore, and a bullet seating insert mounted in the bore of said reloading insert and having an inner end spaced outwardly with respect to said neck engaging bore portion, said bullet seating insert having a cavity at the inner end thereof adapted to receive and seat the forward end of a bullet and to provide a stop for the bullet while the cartridge case neck is advanced into said neck engaging bore portion and telescoped over the other end of the bullet, said reloading insert bore including a portion of smaller diameter than said neck engaging bore portion and disposed between the inner end of said bullet seating insert and the adjacent end of said neck engaging bore portion for axially aligning the bullet with the bores of the master die body and the reloading insert as the bullet is advanced into the cavity of the bullet seating insert.

2. An attachment as in claim 1, and means for adjustably mounting said reloading insert in the master die body for varying the spacing between the neck engaging bore portion thereof and the inner end of said tapered bore.

.3. An attachment as in claim 2, and means for adjustably mounting said bullet seating insert in the bore of the reloading insert for varying the spacing between the cavity of said bullet seating insert and the adjacent end of the neck engaging bore portion.

4. An attachment as in claim 3, the bore of said reloading insert including a flared inner end portion extending from the inner end of said neck engaging bore portion and adapted to receive and seat a tapered portion of the cartridge case.

5. An attachment for use with an ammunition press frame comprising an elongated master die body adapted to be mounted in a portion of a press frame and having a longitudinally extending bore adapted to be disposed in alignment with a ram of the press frame, said bore extending inwardly from an inner end of the die body which is located adjacent the ram and terminating intermediate of the ends thereof, said die body having a, chamber. of larger diameter than the diameter of said bore extending from the inner end of the bore and opening through the other outer end of the die body, a reloading insert mounted in said chamber and having a bore-extending axially therethrough and disposed in-alignment with ,the die body bore, said reloading insert bore includingacartridge neck engaging portion located adjacent 'the die body bore and adapted to receive the neck of.a cartridge case-the'body 5 portion of which is received in said die body bore, said reloading insert bore including an intermediate portion of smaller diameter than the diameter of sad cartridge neck engaging bore portion and of smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the cartridge case neck, and a bullet seating insert mounted in the outer end portion of the reloading insert bore and having an inner end disposed in said intermediate portion of the reloading insert bore and spaced outwardly from said neck engaging bore portion, said bullet seating insert having a cavity at the inner end thereof adapted to receive the forward end of a bullet and to provide a stop for the bullet while the cartridge case neck is advanced into said neck engaging bore portion and is telescoped over the other end of the bullet, the part of the intermediate bore portion of the reloading References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,571,272 Martin Oct. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 553.972 Germany July 2. 1932 

